Remote presence system mounted to operating room hardware

ABSTRACT

A robot system that includes a remote station and a robot face. The robot face includes a camera that is coupled to a monitor of the remote station and a monitor that is coupled to a camera of the remote station. The robot face and remote station also have speakers and microphones that are coupled together. The robot face may be coupled to a boom. The boom can extend from the ceiling of a medical facility. Alternatively, the robot face may be attached to a medical table with an attachment mechanism. The robot face and remote station allows medical personnel to provide medical consultation through the system.

REFERENCE TO CROSS-RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Application No. 61/070,348 filed on Mar. 20, 2008.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The subject matter disclosed generally relates to the field of robotic tele-presence systems.

2. Background Information

When performing a surgical procedure it is sometimes desirable to have a mentor assist in the procedure. Unfortunately, this typically requires that the mentor be at the surgical site which is not always practical. There has been developed a robotic system sold by Intuitive Surgical, Inc. under the trademark Da Vinci which allows a surgeon to remotely perform a surgical procedure through use of robot arms located at the surgical site. This allows a specialist to actually perform a procedure from a remote location. The Da Vinci system is both large and expensive and thus not available for every medical facility. It would be desirable to allow remote medical consultation with a system that was relatively inexpensive and easy to install into existing operating rooms.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A robot system that includes a remote station and a robot face. The robot face includes a camera that is coupled to a monitor of the remote station and a monitor that is coupled to a camera of the remote station. The robot face and remote station, also have speakers and microphones that are coupled together. The robot face may be coupled to a boom. Alternatively, the robot face may be attached to a medical table with an attachment mechanism.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a tele-presence system;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a robot face of the system;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the robot face;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an alternate embodiment of the tele-presence system;

FIG. 5 is a rear view of a robot face of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a display user interface of a remote station;

FIG. 7 is a display user interface showing an electronic medical record;

FIG. 8 is a display user interface showing an image and an electronic medical record being simultaneously displayed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Disclosed is a robot system that includes a remote station and a robot face. The robot face includes a camera that is coupled to a monitor of the remote station and a monitor that is coupled to a camera of the remote station. The robot face and remote station also have speakers and microphones that are coupled together. The robot face may be coupled to a boom. The boom can extend from the ceiling of a medical facility. Alternatively, the robot face may be attached to a medical table with an attachment mechanism. The robot face and remote station allow a medical personnel to provide remote medical consultation through the system.

Referring to the drawings more particularly by reference numbers, FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 show a tele-presence system 10. The system 10 includes a boom 12, a robot face 14 and a remote control station 16. The remote control station 16 may be coupled to the robot face 14 through a network 18. By way of example, the network 18 may be either a packet switched network such as the Internet, or a circuit switched network such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) or other broadband system. Alternatively, the robot face 14 may be coupled to the remote station 16 network thru a satellite.

The remote control station 16 may include a computer 22 that has a monitor 24, a camera 26, a microphone 28 and a speaker 30. The computer 22 may also contain an input device 32 such as a joystick or a mouse. The control station 16 is typically located in a place that is remote from the robot face 14. Although only one remote control station 16 is shown, the system 10 may include a plurality of remote stations 16. In general any number of robot faces 14 may be coupled to any number of remote stations 16 or other robot faces 14. For example, one remote station 16 may be coupled to a plurality of robot faces 14, or one robot face 14 may be coupled to a plurality of remote stations 16, or a plurality of robot faces 14. The system may include an arbitrator (not shown) that control access between the robot face(s) 14 and the remote stations 16.

The boom 12 may extend from the ceiling 34 of a medical facility. The boom 12 may include articulate joints 36 and 38 that provide at least two degrees of freedom and allow a user to move the robot face 14 relative to an medical table 40 such as an operating room (“OR”) table.

The boom 12 may have additional joints 42 and 44 that allow the robot face 14 to be panned and tilted, respectively. The joints 42 and 44 may contain actuators 46 and 48, respectively, that can be remotely actuated through manipulation of the input device 32 at the remote station 16.

Each robot face 14 includes a camera(s) 50, a monitor 52, a microphone(s) 54 and a speaker(s) 56. The robot camera 50 is coupled to the remote monitor 24 so that a user at the remote station 16 can view a patient on the table 40. Likewise, the robot monitor 52 is coupled to the remote camera 26 so personnel at the surgical site may view the user of the remote station 16. The microphones 28 and 54, and speakers 30 and 56, allow for audible communication between the system operator and the personnel at the surgical site.

The system 10 allows a system user such as a surgical specialist to view a patient on the table 40 and provide remote medical consultation through the remote station 16 and the robot face 14. Personnel at the surgical site can transmit questions and responses through the system back to the system operator. The robot camera 50 allows the specialist to view the patient and enhance the medical consultation. The robot monitor 52 can display the specialist to provide a feeling of presence at the surgical site. The boom 12 allows the personnel to move the robot face 14 into and out of the surgical area.

The robot face 14 can be retrofitted onto booms that presently exist in medical facilities. For example, some present medical facilities include a monitor attached to a boom. The existing monitor can be replaced with the robot face 14 that is then coupled to the remote station 16.

FIGS. 4 and 5 shows an alternate embodiment of a system 10′ where the robot face 14 is attached to the table 40 with an attachment mechanism 70. The attachment mechanism 70 may include a pair of clamps 72 that are pressed into a rail 74 of the table 40. The attachment mechanism 70 may have a sleeve 76 that slides relative to a housing 78 so that a user can adjust the height of the robot face 14. The face position may be locked in place by rotation of knob 80.

The attachment mechanism 70 may include a neck portion 82 with joints 84 and 86 that allow for pan and tilt of the robot face 14, respectively. The joints 84 and 86 may be manually actuated or contain actuators 88 and 90, respectively, that can be actuated through the input device 32 at the remote station 16.

The attachment mechanism 70 may include handles 92 that allow a user to carry the robot face 14 to and from the table 40. The attachment mechanism 70 allows the robot face 14 to be readily utilized at a surgical site, particularly when the operating room does not have a boom.

The remote station computer 22 may operate Microsoft OS software and WINDOWS XP or other operating systems such as LINUX. The remote computer 22 may also operate a video driver, a camera driver, an audio driver and a joystick driver. The video images may be transmitted and received with compression software such as MPEG CODEC.

The systems 10 and 10′ may have certain components and software that are the same or similar to a robotic system provided by the assignee InTouch-Health, Inc. of Santa Barbara, Calif. under the name RP-7 and embodies a system described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,925,357, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIG. 6 shows a display user interface (“DUI”) 120 that can be displayed at the remote station 16. The DUI 120 may include a robot view field 122 that displays a video image captured by the camera of the robot face 14. The DUI 120 may also include a station view field 124 that displays a video image provided by the camera of the remote station 16. The DUI 120 may be part of an application program stored and operated by the computer 22 of the remote station 16.

The DUI 120 may include a graphic button 126 that can be selected to display an electronic medical record as shown in FIG. 7. The button 126 can be toggled to sequentially view the video image and the electronic medical record. Alternatively, the view field 122 may be split to simultaneously display both the video image and the electronic medical record as shown in FIG. 8. The viewing field may allow the physician to modify the medical record by adding, changing or deleting all or part of the record. The remote clinician can also add to the medical record still images or video captured by the camera of the robot.

The DUI 120 may have a monitor data field 128 that can display the data generated by a medical monitoring device(s) (not shown) and transmitted to the remote station. The data can be added to the electronic medical record, either automatically or through user input. For example, the data can be added to a record by “dragging” a monitor data field 128 into the viewing field 122.

The DUI 120 may include alert input icons 130 and 132. Alert icon 130 can be selected by the user at the remote station to generate an alert indicator such as a sound from the speaker of the robot face 14. Selection of the icon generates an alert input to the robot face 14. The robot face 14 generates a sound through its speaker in response to the alert input. By way of example, the sound may simulate the noise of a horn. Consequently, the icon 130 may have the appearance of a horn.

Alert icon 132 can be selected to request access to the video images from the robot face. The default state of the robot may be to not send video information to the remote station. Selecting the alert icon 132 sends an alert input such as an access request to the robot face. The robot face then generates an alert indicator. The alert indicator can be a sound generated by the robot speaker, and/or a visual prompt on the robot monitor. By way of example, the visual prompt may be a “flashing” graphical icon. The sound may simulate the knocking of a door. Consequently, the alert icon 132 may have the appearance of a door knocker.

In response to the alert indicator the user may provide a user input such as the depression of a button on the robot face, or the selection of a graphical image on the robot monitor, to allow access to the robot camera. The robot face may also have a voice recognition system that allows the user to grant access with a voice command. The user input causes the robot face to begin transmitting video images from the robot camera to the remote station that requested access to the robot face. A voice communication may be established before the cycle of the alert input and response, to allow the user at the remote station to talk to the caller recipient at the robot face.

The DUI 120 may include a location display 138 that provides the location of the robot face. The CHANGE button 140 can be selected to change the default robot face in a new session. The CHANGE button 140 can be used to select and control a different robot face in a system that has multiple robot faces. The user can initiate and terminate a session by selecting box 142. The box 142 changes from CONNECT to DISCONNECT when the user selects the box to initiate a session. System settings and support can be selected through buttons 144 and 146.

Both the robot view field 122 and the station view field 124 may have associated graphics to vary the video and audio displays. Each field may have an associated graphical audio slide bar 148 to vary the audio level of the microphone and another slide bar 152 to vary the volume of the speakers.

The DUI 120 may have slide bars 150, 154 and 156 to vary the zoom, focus and brightness of the cameras, respectively. A still picture may be taken at either the robot face or remote station by selecting one of the graphical camera icons 158. The still picture may be the image presented at the corresponding field 122 or 124 at the time the camera icon 158 is selected. Capturing and playing back video can be taken through graphical icons 160. A return to real time video can be resumed, after the taking of a still picture, captured video, or reviewing a slide show, by selecting a graphical LIVE button 162.

A still picture can be loaded from disk for viewing through selection of icon 164. Stored still images can be reviewed by selecting buttons 166. The number of the image displayed relative to the total number of images is shown by graphical boxes 168. The user can rapidly move through the still images in a slide show fashion or move through a captured video clip by moving the slide bar 170. A captured video image can be paused through the selection of circle 174. Play can be resumed through the same button 174. Video or still images may be dismissed from the active list through button 172. Video or still images may be transferred to the robot by selecting icon 176. For example, a doctor at the remote station may transfer an x-ray to the screen of the robot.

The system may provide the ability to annotate 184 the image displayed in field 122 and/or 124. For example, a doctor at the remote station may annotate some portion of the image captured by the robot face camera. The annotated image may be stored by the system. The system may also allow for annotation of images sent to the robot face through icon 176. For example, a doctor may send an x-ray to the robot face which is displayed by the robot screen. The doctor can annotate the x-ray to point out a portion of the x-ray to personnel located at the robot site. This can assist in allowing the doctor to instruct personnel at the robot site.

The display user interface may include graphical inputs 186 that allow the operator to turn the views of the remote station and remote cameras on and off.

While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those ordinarily skilled in the art. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A tele-presence system, comprising: a boom including first and second articulate joints that is attached to a fixed structure at a first location; a robot face coupled to said boom via third and fourth joints having first and second actuators that can be remotely actuated to pan and tilt the robot face relative to the boom, said robot face including a robot monitor, a robot camera, a robot speaker, and a robot microphone, said robot camera and said robot monitor are mechanically coupled such that they move together relative to said boom, and said robot camera captures a patient image; and, a remote station located a second location remote from said first location, said remote station is coupled to said robot face via a network to receive said patient image, said remote station can control the first and second actuators via an input device and includes a station monitor that displays said patient image, a station camera that captures a user image that is transmitted to said robot and displayed by said robot monitor, a station speaker that reproduces sound received by said robot microphone, and a station microphone that receives sound that is reproduced by said robot speaker.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said boom has at least two degrees of freedom.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein said remote station monitor displays a display user interface.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein said boom includes actuators to provide at least two degrees of freedom for said robot face.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein said remote station transmits commands to actuate said actuators.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the network coupled to said robot face and said remote station.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the fixed structure is a medical facility that supports said boom and a medical table that is in physical proximity to said robot face.
 8. A method for providing a remote medical consultation, comprising: controlling a movement of a robot face that is coupled to a boom that has first and second articulate joints and is attached to a fixed structure at a first location from a remote station at a second location remote from said first location, said robot face is coupled to the boom via third and fourth joints that have first and second actuators that can be remotely actuated to pan and tilt the robot face relative to the boom, wherein the robot face includes a robot camera and a robot monitor that are mechanically coupled such that they move together relative to said boom; capturing a patient image with the robot camera; transmitting the patient image from the robot camera to a station monitor of the remote station; displaying the patient image on the station monitor; capturing a user image with a station camera of the remote station; transmitting the user image from the station camera to the robot monitor; displaying the user image on the robot monitor; and, transmitting an audio command from a station microphone to a robot speaker.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting an audio request from a robot microphone to a station speaker.
 10. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting an actuator command from the remote station to actuate an actuator of the boom. 